Vice President Sara Duterte expressed on Monday that she was not surprised by the announcement of plans to refile an impeachment complaint against her, claiming the move is being used by some lawmakers as leverage ahead of the 2026 national budget.
The militant coalition Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) said it is preparing a fresh impeachment complaint to coincide with the end of the one-year constitutional ban on such complaints on February 5, 2026.
Duterte stated that the timing of the renewed complaint follows a familiar pattern and alleged it is being manipulated for political and financial gain rather than principle. She referenced past claims by Senator Chiz Escudero that certain allocations were allegedly used to pressure lawmakers to support the original impeachment, a plan reportedly rejected by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Vice President lamented that no investigation followed these allegations, and she warned that the impeachment process is being exploited again as a bargaining tool before the national budget’s passage. Duterte reaffirmed her readiness to respond to allegations based on facts but criticized the misuse of constitutional mechanisms for political maneuvering.
